


Tapioca Pearls

by applestain



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Ficlet, Gen, One Shot, and him enjoying it, dick is in the fic briefly and when I say briefly I mean briefly, this is just a contemplative and lazy afternoon for tim. not very eventful but its just a break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 07:21:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17421530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/applestain/pseuds/applestain
Summary: Basically a character piece.Slice of life. Tim is just enjoying his afternoon. This takes place after an (unexplained) fight between Dick and Tim. This added to the weight of Tim still being a bit salty about being replaced.





	Tapioca Pearls

　　　Breaks meant something different to everyone. To some it was a nap, cozy pyjamas, maybe even biting into a thick Italian hoagie, while sinking deeper and deeper into youtube’s eternal abyss. When Tim had been younger, breaks were harder to come by. He struggled to understand when he deserved them. And to make matters worse, he felt responsible for whatever happened when he did manage to offer himself the moment of grace.

　　　 　　　While he didn’t outgrow most of his bad habits, Tim at the very least, learned to breathe. He learned to enjoy the moments of pause. He learned to skip nights of patrol to get a good night's rest. And he learned not to be so dependent on caffeine or energy drinks to keep himself functional. Tim couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment this shift in his behavior occurred. But, those who were attentive to his patterns were able to deduce it had happened sometime after he had gone solo.

　　　 　　　Admittedly, Tim was not very interested in understanding the intricacies of his own personal development so long as he knew they were occuring in the first place. After all, now he felt more comfortable traveling alone and without groups of people. Despite his reputation for being a solitary creature (likely for his association with Bruce, and the clear difference in personality from the more extroverted Dick Grayson), Tim always had a preference to doing even the most menial things in the company of others. But now, he was able to find solace in his own company. And actually savor the moments of silence he had rather than sink into his own head. Albeit, this is only achieved through mental trickery. Punishment and reward. Mostly reward.

　　　 　　　Wrapping his fingers around the plastic cup next to him, Tim brought the massive multicolored straw to his lips. One sip, two sips, then a greedily long one before he set it back down on the table. Inflating his cheeks with the mixture of taro tea and tapioca pearls, the once-teen-wonder did his best to swallow the liquid without choking himself on the beads.

　　　 　　　It was the middle of winter and while bubble tea wasn’t the coziest of drinks, nor the most representative of the season, Tim always found himself rushing in to this particular shop when he was in the neighborhood. His coat hung on the back of his chair, the fur lining was standing on end in that particular way that Ives liked to say ‘looked like a cat licked it’. The place was relatively busy, mostly full of teen girls, huddled together and giggling at their own poor attempts to pronounce the different names of the tea. However, one appeared so frustrated at her inability to try them all, she seemed on the verge to choose nothing at all.

　　　 　　　The decorations were lively and colorful. Most of the walls were adorned with images of an unlikely friendship between a fish and a bee, both plump and round, cheeks full and rosy. It was a setting that seemed to attract a younger crowd, most surprised by the prices when they walked in. Some stayed in embarrassment. Meandering around and looking for the cheapest thing on the menu so they don’t walk out empty handed. Others, left giggling and laughing. But today, it had an even ratio of teens coming alone, likely with their week’s allowance. While the other half were teens tugging at their parent’s sleeves for the chance to try something. The parents just seemed happy to be anywhere but starbucks and that their children had taken an interest in something ‘healthy’ like tea.

　　　 　　　Shops like these always had a very sweet aroma to them, most smelled like honey. Thick and sweet, the flavor lingered on the tongue even before getting the cool perspiring beverage. The music was soft, lyrics almost indistinguishable from the instrumentals, but Tim paid little to no care to it. He wiped his fingers of the water droplets on his jeans and silently typed away while listening to music on his ipod.

　　　　　　 　　　Though he had been mad at Dick for the last three months, even resolving to avoid talking to him, Tim stared at the small tab on the left side of his screen. Just beneath Cass was Dick’s icon with the green light steady and inviting. On any normal day, Tim might have viewed it as something obnoxious. ‘I’m here when you need me’, Dick would say. And it was true, he was ALWAYS there when he was needed. But that also included his incessant need to be present even in the moments he wasn’t.

　　　 　　　Inhaling, and clicking on Dick’s (detailed) profile, Tim scanned the first few images that the older male had. Dick was ridiculously photogenic and he knew it. While Tim was not hideous in photos (he knew how to look presentable when he was at a public get together), he was also not immune to looking like he had his soul ripped straight out from his eye sockets.

　　　 　　　With the sweet taste of his bubble tea smooth on his tongue, Tim felt an overwhelming need for closure. Or maybe even the need to reach out and try again. At this point, he wasn’t even completely sure what insignificant thing he had used to mask the fact that he was still angry about matters that were long past and done with. But his good mood mixed with the bright atmosphere and his drink at hand, had coaxed the teen enough to change his attitude toward the other.

　　　 　　　And while this grand epiphany did convince Tim to reach out, it in no way turned him into a literary genius. His message to Dick was a simple and quite vague. But Dick answered in a near second. 

* * *

 

ＢＩＧＢＩＲＤ　　　　　　　　                                             ＣＡＬＬ | ＭＯＲＥ

₂₁₂ xxx ﹣ xxxx

　　　　 　　　　　　　___________Tᴏᴅᴀʏ____________

 

　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　╭──────╮

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　                  ✌️﹖✓✓

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 ╰──────╯

　　　　　　　　 ╭─────────────────╮

　　　　　　　　                 TIM!!!!!11!!!!!!! 🎉🎉🎉 🌟 ✓✓

　　　　　　　　 ╰─────────────────╯

**Author's Note:**

> Another oneshot that comes from my RP solos.


End file.
